Pretending
by FlamingDranzer
Summary: He had the ideal life:  a loving family, reliable friends, good grades. An encounter with a pyromaniac man turned it upside down. The pyromaniac is Roxas' form of crack:  he just can't get enough. AxelxRoxas
1. The Epitome of Summer

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. I only own the plot. I also don't own any of the brands of cereal listed in this chapter, or Microsoft Word.

Warnings: None.

Author's Note: I'm kind of going through writer's block right now, and one of the ways for me to go through it is to write something. And that's how "Pretending" was born. Also, the warnings under the disclaimer will only apply to that certain chapter.

**Pretending**

**Chapter 1: The Epitome of Summer**

Summer is a wonderful time of the year, especially if you're a student. Then summer means one thing: summer vacation. It's the most anticipated event of the year, where you can finally drop your curfews and notebooks and stay up to the wee hours of the morning playing video games and eating ice cream. You can hang out with friends and shop at the mall for the latest fashions, or perhaps just wander around town all day eating sea-salt ice cream.

For the Hikari family, a mother and father with three teenage boys, it meant total chaos in the household. The father was never home during the day, save for the weekends. The mother was home every day, cooking and cleaning for her three boys. Sora and Roxas were twins, born fifteen years ago. Sora was a hyper boy with a large appetite, but he was blessed with a high metabolism. Roxas was the quiet one and enjoyed to write. Cloud was the oldest out of the three, being seventeen years old. He was admired by Sora and Roxas.

"Mom, we're out of orange juice!" yelled Sora, closing the fridge door harshly, causing Roxas to wince from the loud thud that occured. Roxas was sitting at the kitchen table next to Cloud, who was drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper, waiting for their mother to make breakfast.

She was only forty years old, but didn't appear to be a day older than 35. While she cooked breakfast for herself and her three boys, she had her dark brown hair tied loosely behind her with a navy blue hairtie.

"Thank you, Sora! Can you add it to the list?" she asked sweetly as she took out several boxes of cereal from the kitchen cabinets. Cocoa Puffs for Sora, Cinnamon Toast Crunch for Roxas, and Peanut Butter Crunch for Cloud. She, like Sora, prefered Cocoa Puffs. How could anyone resist chocolate, especially in the morning?

Three glasses were put gently on the countertop - one for herself, Sora and Roxas. Sora walked behind her with pen in hand to scribble "orange juice" on the grocery list. Their mother took out four spoons and placed them by the four stacked bowls. Sora removed two pieces of toast and placed them on a plate that held six other slices.

Sora grabbed four small plates, one for each of his family members. He placed them on the counter to the right of the four stacked bowls. He grabbed two containers of peanut butter and two bars of butter from the cabinet and placed them next to the cereal. They had to keep the dishware and the food seperated, or else everyone would be bumping into each other even more than they already did when they scrambled for food. Their mother placed the two jugs of milk next to the cereal. Everything was all set.

"Hey, mom?" Cloud asked, looking up from his newspaper. His mother smiled sweetly at him.  
"Yes, dear?"  
"Why don't we just hand out the dishware and place the food on the table? So we wouldn't be bumping into each other?"  
She thought about the suggestion for only a moment before nodding. "Wonderful idea, Cloud! I don't know why we haven't thought of that before!"

Roxas got up from his spot at the table, and along with Sora and his mother, they all moved the food and dishes to the table. For Roxas, it was the first breakfast they had together where they hadn't been bumping into each other as they were trying to get some food.

Cloud was always the first done; though he ate a lot, he ate fast, just like Sora. He rinsed his plate and bowl off before placing them in the dishwasher. He returned to his seat to finish his coffee just as Sora was getting up to place his dishes in the dishwasher. Roxas and their mother were slow eaters, enjoying every bite rather than shoveling it down their mouths. The two finished at the same time and returned to the table to enjoy the conversation about what to do over the summer.

Soon, the three brothers and their mother left the kitchen to finish their morning routine. Cloud and their mother, Kayla, would head to the downstairs bathroom. Sora and Roxas would go to the upstairs bathroom.

"So, Roxas," began Sora, "What are you doing today?"  
Roxas spit out his toothpaste before replying. "Well, I got this new idea for a story."  
"Yeah?" urged Sora. Roxas' ideas were always amazing.

"It's about how the stereotypes in high school can affect a person's self-image and confidence, both negatively and positively."  
"Where did that come from?" asked Sora.

"Well, it came from last year, our freshman year. Everyone seemed to stereotype us almost immediately, and I didn't like it at all."  
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Well, see you around, Roxas."

Sora left the bathroom, leaving Roxas to finish washing his face.

Cloud had left to go to his best friend's house, who went by the name of Leon. Roxas hadn't seen the man more than once or twice, except when he wandered over to see where Cloud was. Roxas got the vibe that Leon and Cloud were going out, but were keeping it secret from their parents. The Hikari family was religious, attending church every Sunday. According to the church, homosexuality was a sin. Roxas didn't know how his parents would react if they found out Leon and Cloud were dating, so he kept it a secret.

Sora was laying about in his room, reading manga, a form of Japanese comic. Roxas, currently, sat in front of his computer screen. It was eleven in the morning. Only two hours ago, they had breakfast, but Roxas was already feeling hungry. He knew that if he was this hungry already, Sora must be wasting away.

Soon, he found an empty Microsoft Word document displayed on the screen. He cracked his fingers and knuckles and began to type. It was a sort of oblivion to him, in which he'd lose track of all time and forget everything from that annoying homework assignment that needed to be done to how hungry he was. Only when he took a break he realized how hungry he had gotten. He saved his work; he preferred proofreading once the entire story was done. He wandered into the hallway and down the stairs, into the kitchen.

Once there, he found lunch waiting for Sora, Kayla, and himself. They were sandwitches, stuffed with all sorts of meats and vegetables. Roxas found his mouth watering as he stared at the food on the counter.  
"Hey, mom," he greeted while getting three glasses out of the cabinet.

"Hey, dear, would you mind getting Sora for me? I tried yelling for him to come down, but he must be reading another one of his manga again."  
"Sure, I'll go get him."

Roxas wandered back up the stairs and into Sora's room. He had immediately regretted opening the door. Once he did, a horrible stench made its way into his nostrils and almost made him gag. Piles of dirty old socks and other articles of clothing littered the blue carpet, making it almost invisible.  
"Sora, mom said that lunch's ready," Roxas said while backing out of the room.

"Lunch? Yeah!" yelled Sora as he sprinted past Roxas and down the stairs, nearly hitting poor Roxas in the process. Roxas shut the door before walking down the stairs calmly, a contrast to his twin.

By the time Roxas arrived, Sora was devouring the sandwitch and chips, crumbs flying everywhere. Roxas sat down next to his mother and started eating calmly.  
"Thanks for getting your brother down here, Roxas," she said while smiling sweetly at her sons.

"No problem," replied Roxas after he had swallowed the bite of sandwitch.  
Roxas was last to finish and offered to put the dishes in the dishwasher. Kayla was proud of her sons - they were everything she had hoped for.

Roxas had wandered into his room and was reading a book on his bed when his mother came in. He placed the bookmark on the page he was reading and shut it. He muttered a thank you to his mother before answering the phone. "Hello?"  
"Yo, Roxas."  
"Hayner, what's up?"  
"Nothing. Me, Pence and Olette were going to go get some ice cream, wanna come?"  
"Sure. Are we meeting at the usual spot first?"  
"Yeah; I'll see you there, then. Bye."  
"Bye."  
He clicked the talk button on the phone and momentarily placed it on his dresser.

He had gotten dressed earlier in the day, wearing a black sleeveless shirt with a white t-shirt like jacket over top of it. He wore layered black and white baggy pants and his sneakers, black and red, were sitting by the door. He wore his trademark checkered wristband with his black and white ring bands. He shoved his black leather wallet in his back pocket and put his cell phone and mp3 player in the front pockets.

He walked down the stairs and saw his mother putting the now-clean dishes away. He put the phone back on its stand, where it would charge up for a future use. "Hey, mom, I'm going to get ice cream with Hayner and the others."  
"Okay, dear, but can you be back at 5:30? I need some help preparing dinner tonight, and you know how Sora is in the kitchen."  
"Alright, I will."  
"Do you have money?"  
"Yes, mom. Oh, and I have my cell phone on me too."

"Alright, have fun, dear."  
"I will. Bye, mom!"  
Roxas slipped into his sneakers and was out the door in record time.

**----------**

Roxas had met Hayner, Pence and Olette at the usual spot. They were now all sitting by the banks of the river that ran through the town, eating sea-salt ice cream. Roxas enjoyed the slightly salty, slightly sweet treat. It was the cheapest ice cream on all of the menus around town, but it was, in Roxas' opinion, the best.

"So, what are you doing tomorrow?" asked Hayner.  
"Not sure," replied Roxas, finished with his frozen treat.

"We could all go to the mall!" Olette exclaimed, suddenly attacked by a barrage of ideas.

Pence, Hayner and Roxas looked at each other in slight horror. You couldn't disagree with Olette, because then she'd find a way to make you feel guilty. Either way, the situation was hopeless.

"Okay. Sounds like fun," Roxas said, laying back on the grass.

The group sat in silence for a few moments before Roxas cursed. Hayner, Pence and Olette stared at Roxas as he reached for his cell phone. It was a quarter past five...he had to be home in fifteen minutes, and his home was half an hour away.

"I got to go, bye!" shouted Roxas as he started sprinting towards home.

"...Man, he loses track of time just as much as I do," remarked Hayner.

**----------**

Roxas' chest felt like it was on fire when he got home. He caught his breath for a few moments before walking into the house. Upon entering, he saw that it was twenty five minutes after five. He had come home five minutes early.

"Did you have fun today, Roxas?" asked his mother as he entered.  
"Yeah, but I almost lost track of time. I had to sprint to get back here on time."  
"Roxas, Roxas, Roxas. You're like your father, back when we were in high school. He was always losing track of time, too."

"Really?" asked Roxas, now curious about his father's behavior in high school.

"He was just like you, a hard worker, but he'd always lose track of time. Sometimes, he'd be half an hour late for one of our dates, but it was hard to stay mad at him for a long time."

Kayla was going into what Sora had dubbed "Nostalgic Mode". Kayla would zone out, remembering her high school and college days. When in this state of mind, Roxas would often leave her alone.

He found the recipe and menu for tonight's dinner on the counter. Lasagna was the main course, with a salad as the side. A loaf of bread was also waiting on the counter to have with the lasagna and salad.  
"Roxas, which would you like to make tonight? The lasagna or the salads?" Kayla asked, smiling at her son.

"You make the better lasagna, so I think I better leave that to you. Last time I tried to make it, I burnt it."  
Kayla giggled, remembering Roxas' first attempt at making lasagna. It was good; burnt, but good, nonetheless. "Alright, but one of these days, you're going to have to make it."  
Roxas groaned before getting two heads of lettuce out of the fridge.

The five bowls sat before him, ready to be filled with salad. Sora would only eat salad if it was made by Roxas, although Roxas didn't see why. All salad tasted the same to him. The lettuce had been cleaned and the different types of cheeses had been sliced into tiny cubes, and the extra things like croutons and bacon bits were sitting on the counter. Roxas had heated up the leftover chicken from last night's dinner and cut it into thin, narrow strips to add for a little more flavor.

The lettuce had entered the bowls first, followed by the mixture of cheeses. He added croutons to the mix, but didn't put any in his bowl. He had once had braces and was no longer used to eating croutons. Bacon bits were added, and then the chicken. Everything was mixed around to add a little bit of variety, and the bowls were placed on the table. Roxas took it upon himself to also place the plates, cups and silverware on the table. Before leaving the kitchen, he put a spatula on the table to get the lasagna out of the pan when it was ready.

He had entered his own room, and was annoyed at the mess inside. He knew that he wouldn't be able to clean everything before dinner, so he began to organize his things. He put his books away in his bookshelf, put the video games back in the drawer, and put all of his dirty clothes in a pile by the door. His mother had laid some clean clothes on his unmade bed, and he put those away as well before making his bed. All of the organization had been done; now he needed to vaccum and dust and he would be completely done.

Just then, his mother's voice rang through the hallways and through his open door, saying that dinner was ready. He heard Sora's loud footsteps as the hyper boy ran through the hallway.

The boys' father, Michael, had arrived home from work. It was thirty minutes past six, and Michael had gotten off work at six on the dot. He was sitting at the table, waiting patiently for dinner to be served. In the meantime, he was talking to Cloud, who had just come back from Leon's house.

"Dad! You're home!" Roxas heard Sora shout, and he was sure that Michael was attacked by a big bear hug from Sora.

Roxas had entered the kitchen to see Michael in a bear hug from Sora, just what he thought he would see. Cloud looked grateful not to be in that hug.

"Hey, Roxas, how're you doing?" asked Michael. He seemed happy to be home and out of the office.

"Pretty good, thanks," replied Roxas, smiling. Usually, his father got home much, much later than this, when they were all in bed and sleeping.

Roxas took his seat at the table and found his glass full of a dark liquid. He took a sip of it and found it to be Pepsi, one of his favorite sodas. A large steaming pile of lasagna was placed on the plate in front of him. "Thanks, mom," he said before digging into the pile with his fork. He always loved Kayla's lasagna. He could only hope to have his own match up to hers in perfection one day.

Dinner was full of conversations of what had happened that day. They all seemed to feel the same emotions during dinner. Roxas always felt happy during dinner. It was, to him, the best time of the day, especially when Michael was home. Even if he didn't show it, he admired his father more than anyone could ever imagine.

Roxas had managed to vaccum and dust his room without being told to, which always made Kayla happy. She was always telling Sora to clean his room, but he would never clean it, except for once a month at most. The members of the family were once again in their pajamas, finishing their nightly routine of brushing their teeth, flossing, and gargling mouthwash. Afterwards, the house was silent.

Roxas tossed and turned in his bed. He was lost in the realm of dreams, one of his favorite places.

**------------------------**

Author's Note: So, how'd you like it? The future chapters will have a little bit of Cloud/Leon, Zexion/Demyx, and of course, Axel/Roxas. Please send me a review and tell me what you think!


	2. Fade to Gray

Disclaimer: I don't own KH or any of its characters. "I'll stand and fight. I'm not afraid to die. Elochai, bury me tonight." is from Disturb's song "Pain Redefined", which I do not own.

Warnings: Slight language

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to get it up. I've been extremely busy for the last few days so I couldn't write. Thanks for the reviews, everyone! They make me a happy author!

**Pretending**

**Chapter 2: Fade to Gray**

Summer is a wonderful time of year for students. It provides a wonderful contrast to the hectic school year, that, without a doubt, would be full of stress and homework. Unfortunately, students have to go to school for most of the year, although that makes summer vacation all the sweeter when it came. But, summer vacation was never long enough...

Summer, for Roxas, had passed quickly, too quickly for his liking. He had grown to like going to bed in the wee hours of the morning and waking up well past noon. Sea-salt ice cream quickly became the portion of his diet. The days withered away slowly as Roxas spent most of his time at his computer, writing stories, or in front of a video game console, playing various first person shooters.

The mouse cursor made its way over to the little save icon at the top of the screen, and after a soft click on the icon, made its way over to the large red X. The window disappeared quickly and without any sort of protest asking the user to save again, just in case something would happen. The clock, Roxas noted, said it was two in the afternoon. The computer screen went blank, and Roxas gently pushed himself away from the desk.

What could one do at two in the afternoon? It was already too late for lunch (although Roxas had already had the meal earlier). A snack would be appropriate if he was hungry, but it might ruin his appetite for dinner. His wrists were tired from the two hours' worth of typing he had done before turning the computer off, so he wasn't willing to playing video games or anything of the sort. His friends, Hayner, Pence and Olette were out of town, visiting relatives with their families.

As Roxas lifted himself from the chair and put his wallet and mp3 player in his pockets, Roxas got a brilliant idea. He could go to the mall! A trip to the mall was fun, but you tended to get lonely should you not have your friends by your side. Also, the mall was a great place to socialize when school was out for the summer, and Roxas was feeling lonely lately, due to his friends' absences. Perhaps a trip to the mall would do him some good. Even his mother, Kayla, was insisting that he get out of the house more often.

Roxas suddenly found himself by the front door of his house. His mother wasn't home at the moment, so he decided to leave a note that said he was going to the mall and would be back by dinner. It was a wonderful day outside. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and clouds couldn't be seen for miles. Although it was warm outside, it wasn't humid enough to bother Roxas. Roxas turned on his mp3 player and hummed along with the songs as he made his way towards the mall.

**----------**

The mall seemed to be brand new, although it had already been there since Roxas' parents' childhoods. The janitors certainly were doing a good job in keeping the mall look its best. It was rare to even see a piece of trash on the white marble flooring. Every shop was open, and the mall, in general, was bustling with activity. Roxas occasionally wondered how much the janitors got paid to take care of the building.

Groups of families and friends walked leisurely around the mall, several bags filled with all sorts of items being carried in their hands. There were your average stereotypes, as well, Roxas noticed. The goths and emos hung out in Hot Topic; the preps hung out in pretty much every other place. Jocks were walking into the sporting goods stores, and nerds and geeks were walking into the book store. Roxas wondered where he would fit into all of this...what stereotype did others classify him as?

He got off the bench, throwing the empty candy bar wrapper in the trash can. Cautiously, he walked into Hot Topic, trying his best to ignore the stares that seemed to tell him that his clothing style didn't fit in there. He was browsing through the t-shirt section of the store, when a voice came from behind him.  
"Can I help you?" the slightly older teenager asked, chuckling as Roxas jumped slightly.  
"No, thank you," Roxas replied, looking through the t-shirt rack.

"The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" the teenager said. Roxas turned around and got a good look at Axel.

Emerald green eyes clashed with flamboyant crimson hair, and there were strange triangle-shaped tattoos under his eyes. The teenager was wearing eyeliner, and by the looks of his long, thick lashes, mascara as well. He wore a tight fitting plain t-shirt and tight and faded black jeans. His feet were covered by a pair of combat boots.  
"So, what's your name?" Axel asked.

"Roxas," Roxas replied, feeling uneasy.  
"Hey...I know you!" Axel shouted suddenly. There were no other employees in the store to look at him strangely, and Roxas was the only potential customer in sight. "You go to Kedal High! Saw you around at lunch, sitting there, being quiet like the typical goody-two-shoes."  
"I don't think I've ever seen you before," Roxas replied.  
"Nah, you probably haven't. Me and my friends get in trouble a lot, so we're hardly there. You get a free vacation if you piss off the teachers," Axel chuckled.  
"Yeah..." Roxas said slowly, feeling slightly uneasy.  
"Well, I better let you go, Roxy. Boss is coming back soon and he don't like me chatting to the customers. Says it makes me look unprofessional. Like I give a shit. Here, take my number. I'll call you when I'm off work. You have a cell?"  
"Yeah," Roxas said, taking the piece of paper that held Axel's number. Roxas quickly scribbled his cell phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to the redhead.  
"All righty, then, Roxy," said Axel, "see you later."  
"Bye," Roxas said, quickly getting out of the store. Axel chuckled.

**----------**

Roxas lay on his bed, eyes closed. He had finished eating dinner and had quickly retreated to his room to await the phone call from Axel. Axel...Roxas wondered why he found the other teen so fascinating. Was it the crimson hair, or the emerald green eyes? Maybe it was that almost bipolar personality. Was it because Axel knew Roxas, but Roxas didn't know Axel? Was it because they had went to the same school for years and Roxas had never noticed Axel sitting under the oak tree?

Axel didn't seem to be a bad person. Sure, he was a little bit on the loopy side, and maybe his appearance was unsettling, but he wasn't the kind of person that would blow up a few buildings here and there just because he was bored. But, as far as Roxas was concerned, Axel was just another human being. There was nothing wrong with the flamboyant teenager.

Roxas' cell phone, which was sitting on a computer desk, began to ring. Roxas pondered about the song's title for a few moments. He recognized the lyrics:

_I'll stand and fight.  
I'm not afraid to die.  
Elochai, bury me tonight._

"Hello?" Roxas answered, recognizing that the phone number belonged to Axel's cell phone.  
"Roxy? Hey, what's up?" came Axel's voice from the speaker.  
"Nothing," Roxas replied, sitting down in his computer chair.

**----------**

Roxas' blue eyes slowly opened. He blinked them a few times to focus them as he sat up in his bed. He put his feet down on the soft carpet and yawned. After he glimpsed at his alarm clock, he saw that it was eleven in the morning. He vaguely recalled last night, before he fell asleep. He was talking to Axel for hours. In fact, they probably would've kept talking even longer if Roxas' cell phone battery didn't need to be charged up again.

Roxas headed downstairs, into the kitchen. He placed a bowl and spoon on the table before proceeding to fill the said bowl with some cereal. Before sitting down to eat, he poured some milk into the bowl as well. He noticed that his mother, father and brothers seemed to be absent from the house...until Cloud wandered into the kitchen and sat next to Roxas at the table. Roxas could never figure out why Cloud didn't like to put anything in his coffee.

"Hey, Cloud, where's mom and dad? And Sora, for that matter," Roxas asked, after swallowing a bite of cereal.  
Cloud chuckled at Roxas' comment about Sora. "Yeah, when I got up, I thought someone put me in an entirely different house. Mom left a note on the table earlier, saying that her and dad were going to visit her mother for the day, and Sora went with them," Cloud said, giving Roxas the note that Kayla left.  
"'And we know how much you hate, as Sora calls it, the 'old person smell', so we decided that you and Cloud wouldn't be interested in going,'" Roxas read. He started to laugh as he finished reading. Sora described things oddly sometimes.  
"Yeah, thought you might like that part," Cloud said, before finishing his coffee.

The two sat in silence for a while, before Cloud spoke again. "...You have school tomorrow, don't you?" Cloud asked.

"Hey, you do too!" Roxas said. "You're a senior this year. I'm just a sophomore."

"Yeah, you're right," Cloud said, drumming his fingers on the table in boredom.

"So, what classes are you taking?" Roxas asked curiously.

"Well..." Cloud said, thinking, "Seniors aren't really required to take anything their last year. I'm just taking things that'll help me when I leave next June, stuff like cooking. I'm also taking some English courses, and some drawing ones, too. I also have physical education in there."  
"I'm taking..." Roxas paused to think. "Driver's education, physical education, biology, geometry, English, Spanish, and history."

"Well, you're going to need some supplies, then," Cloud said, getting up. "Get ready; we're going to Walmart to get some supplies."

Roxas groaned.

**----------**

Roxas had always believed that Cloud would be a cautious driver. However, he couldn't have been further from the truth. Cloud drove wildly, speeding down the streets, with heavy metal blaring in the background. Roxas was surprised that they arrived at Walmart alive, and without being pulled over by the police. Roxas wondered where Cloud got that wild side from...surely, not from Kayla or Michael, because those two are the most cautious drivers on the planet.

"Alright, so you're going to need..." Cloud began, thinking.  
"6 notebooks...4 folders...5 binders...notebook paper...and pencils," Roxas said, determining what he would need. Whatever he didn't use this year could be reused next year, anyway.

Roxas hated shopping for school supplies before summer vacation ended. You never knew exactly what you needed until the first day, especially during freshman year. Unfortunately, he had no leftovers from his freshman year. He would've had leftover folders, but his Spanish and physical education folders were constantly being destroyed due to being thrown hastily into his locker day in and day out. Roxas only had a three minute break to get to his next class, so he never had time to put his things away nicely, so they would be usable for the entire year.

Cloud placed the items that Roxas listed into the shopping cart. Roxas watched silently as Cloud placed more supplies into the shopping cart. Roxas knew that they both had enough supplies for the next year. Cloud wasn't the one to take chances, though. In their town, after summer vacation ended, school supplies were near impossible to get, especially mechanical pencils and the lead they needed. It was no surprise that Cloud continued to throw in several more things.

"So, can we go now?" Roxas asked eagerly. Cloud chuckled.  
"Not just yet. Mom needed some things from the grocery store -"   
Roxas groaned. He loved the grocery store, but when Cloud was driving, Roxas began to pray.

**----------**

Roxas sighed, content with finally being home, surprisingly, in one piece. Cloud had actually driven under the speed limit, and to apologize for nearly giving Roxas multiple heart attack earlier, Cloud cooked a big dinner for Roxas. Roxas would have to ask Cloud to cook more often.

Roxas closed his eyes, exhausted. He barely remembered to turn on his alarm clock before drifting to sleep...

**------------------------**

Author's Note: And I'm exhausted too. Including this one, I have 7 fics to write. I'm working on this one, primarily. Then I have 3 I wrote earlier and they're not finished yet, but I never uploaded them anyway. And I have 2 I want to write, mostly Kingdom Hearts fics. The last one? I'm writing a LeonxYuffie. So I'm really busy. Hence the reason why this chapter is shorter than the other one.

Anyway, next chapter will be Roxas' first day as a sophomore. Will Axel cause chaos for Roxas and his friends? And will Roxas' parents ever find out the truth about Leon?


	3. Firsts

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts of any of its characters.

Warnings: Slight yaoi, slight language, slight violence.

Author's Note: It took me forever to start writing this chapter. I felt like I had to create schedules for Roxas and Axel, which took me a while. I gave Roxas the classes that I was taking this year. Axel's schedule is the same as Roxas', except he has a study hall instead of driver's education. Yeah, I was feeling kind of lazy.

**Pretending**

**Chapter 3: Firsts**

Roxas groaned and slapped the button on his alarm clock as it buzzed loudly. The alarm clock quickly shut off, much to Roxas' delight. Roxas stretched and yawned as he placed his cold feet on the floor. He shivered as he made his bed, no longer surrounded by the blanket's warmth. He opened his closet door and removed his usual pants and shirts. After dressing, he made his way down to the kitchen, rubbing the last remnants of sleep from his eyes.

He found his brothers Cloud and Sora sitting down at the table, waiting patiently for Kayla to finish cooking breakfast. On the first day of school, it was a family tradition to have the three brothers and their mother eat breakfast together. After the second day, breakfast was no longer a family thing. The brothers had to finish projects and schoolwork from the night before; Kayla would be cleaning and cooking.

"Good morning," said Roxas, sitting next to Sora at the table.  
"Good morning," mumbled Sora, obviously lacking the ten hours of sleep he loved. Cloud only nodded; it was his way of greeting a person.

"Good morning, dear!" chirped Kayla, placing four plates and four glasses on the table. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I guess," said Roxas. "I can see that Sora didn't, though."

"Hey!" Sora shouted. Cloud smiled softly at Sora and Roxas' antics.

The three boys suddenly found a healthy breakfast on their plates - scrambled eggs, buttered toast and many blueberry pancakes. Sora drooled as he eyed the food on his plate. Roxas rolled his eyes and dug into the large amount of food on his plate. He wasn't very hungry, but Kayla's cooking was amazing! His taste buds were in heaven from the wonderful taste. Luckily, Kayla's food never had a nasty aftertaste.

Roxas soon found himself and his brothers in the living room, by the door. Kayla was with them as well, trying to smile, but anyone could see that she was trying not to cry. Roxas suspected that she felt that way because it was Cloud's last first day - he was a senior this year, and soon he would be leaving the house, heading off to college and getting a career. Roxas admitted to himself that he would miss Cloud. Cloud was never one to talk much, but whenever Kayla wasn't there, Cloud was always glad to offer advice to Roxas.

Roxas found himself in the backseat of his mother's car, with Sora on the opposite edge. Cloud sat in the front, next to Kayla. Roxas knew that eventually, he and Sora would be fighting over who would be able to sit up front. Roxas, personally, didn't care. The family lived in a city, so Roxas figured that he could take the city bus should he ever need to. Roxas figured that he could actually walk to his high school, but Kayla insisted that she drive the three brothers to school. Roxas always appreciated Kayla's kindness, whereas Sora would sometimes take it for granted.

**----------**

The hallways of the school were a majestic white. The marble floors had been recently cleaned and had no dirt upon their surface. Roxas was wandering down the hallway, but stopped walking abruptly when he bumped into someone.  
"Sorry," he said hastily, not even bothering to look up at the person's face. He tried stepping around the person only to feel a hand rest on his shoulder, holding him back.  
"You haven't changed, Roxy," said the person. Roxas knew that nickname. The only person who called him that was...  
"Axel!?" Roxas half-shouted, looking up at the person's face.  
"The one and only, Roxy," Axel chuckled, before walking off. Roxas, curious, followed him.

Roxas couldn't help but let his eyes wander up and down Axel's slim body. Axel was wearing a black trenchcoat and black baggy jeans with combat boots. Roxas thought that Axel would be hot wearing such attire. Roxas jumped back slightly as he noticed someone waving a gloved hand in front of his face.

"Yo, Roxy, I was calling your name for five minutes!" Axel said, trying his best to sound exhausted.

"Maybe I didn't answer because my name isn't Roxy. It's Roxas," said Roxas, glaring at the redhead. He was tiring of that nickname.

"Ok..." Axel said, defeated. Roxas released a sigh, feeling like he had finally won a battle.

"...Roxy," Axel finished, chuckling as he dodged Roxas' fist.

"Okay, okay, relax, relax!" Axel half-shouted as he realized Roxas was still trying to hit him. "Roxas! Roxas!"  
Roxas stopped trying to hit Axel.

"Well, I'll see you around," Axel said, walking off. A warning bell rang throughout the hallway, causing the students to scatter and head to their homerooms. "Roxy."  
"Don't call me that!" Roxas shouted before walking away.

Roxas sat in at a brand new desk. Its clean surface would be doodled and scribbled on by the end of the day, Roxas knew. No half-chewed gum was placed on the underside, but it wouldn't be long before large lumps of half-chewed gum could be found under there.

Roxas sighed as the homeroom teacher came in. The middle-aged man began explaining his homeroom rules. The man's voice clearly showed how bored its owner was. In the middle of explaining rule number one, the man suddenly stopped talking.  
"Why'd you stop?" a student asked.  
"Because he knows that we're going to break them all in five minutes anyway!" said another.  
The teacher sighed. All of the rules had already been broken in three minutes, anyway.

Roxas was last to leave homeroom, but one of the first to enter his first period class. Unfortunately for Roxas, his first class was history. As much as the teachers tried to make the subject interesting, Roxas always found the subject boring, as did many of the other students. It seemed to be a universally boring topic. Roxas stopped in the doorway as he saw who sat in the back row.  
"Oh...my...God..." muttered Roxas, slapping himself in the forehead.  
"Oh, Roxy!" Axel shouted flamboyantly. "Over here!"  
Roxas found himself unwillingly walking towards the black-clad teenager. His face went bright red as he noticed the teacher and students staring at him as they entered the room.

"Don't call me Roxy," Roxas said. He tried to walk away and to sit in the front row, where he was comfortable, but he was pulled into the free seat by Axel.

"Axel, who's your friend?" came an unfamiliar voice.  
"Oh, this here is Roxas. He likes to be called Roxy," replied Axel.

"Do not!" I said.  
"Oh, so you _don't_ like to be called Roxas? I can work with that," said Axel, causing Roxas to sigh audibly.

"Come on, Axel, quit picking on the poor kid!" said the owner of the unfamiliar voice.  
"Alright, Demyx. You win...for now," Axel said.

"Yay!" cheered Demyx, causing Roxas to stare in shock. How old was this Demyx? Nine?

"Alright, class," came the teacher's shrill voice. "Today you'll be learning the rules of my classroom..."  
"She means 'prison'," Axel whispered, causing a few of the nearby students to giggle. The students sitting in the front seemed to be annoyed at the distraction.

Roxas stared at Demyx, taking in his appearance. He had an odd mix of a mullet and a mohawk. He was wearing a tight sleeveless ebony shirt and baggy black cargo pants that were held up by a studded belt. Demyx's wristband seemed to becoming worn out, but the upside down cross on the thick chain around his neck seemed to be relatively new.

"Thank God!" Roxas muttered as the bell rang. He rushed out of his seat, frustrated with having to put up with Axel's and Demyx's antics the entire class period. For second period, he was scheduled to take geometry. Once again, Roxas found Axel and Demyx in the back row. Once again, Roxas slapped his forehead before being forced to sit down between Axel and Demyx. The events repeated for Roxas' next class, English. For fourth period, Roxas took physical education. When he entered the locker room, he was thrilled to see it lacking Axel and Demyx.

If only for a moment.

Demyx glomped Roxas, proclaiming how much he had missed him. Roxas' face was beginning to turn odd colors due to lack of air. Luckily, Axel was able to pull Demyx off, allowing Roxas to inhale precious oxygen.

Roxas suddenly found himself in a heated game of dodgeball. Most of the opponent's team had yet to be hit, and only Demyx, Axel and Roxas remained on the other team. Axel was skilled at dodging the ball, and Demyx was skilled at throwing the ball. Roxas was skilled at...

Being hit in the head.

Roxas felt a horrible pain tear through his head. The teacher ran over to Roxas' aid as Axel and Demyx ran over to the person that threw the ball. Axel shoved the person to the ground. "Why the hell did you do that!?" Axel shouted.

"It was an accident..." the teenager replied, curling into a ball in order to prevent further harm from coming to his body.  
"Bullshit!" Axel said, glaring at the trembling teenager.  
"Axel, let it go," Demyx said, grabbing Axel's arm. "I know you're upset, but look at the poor guy! It really was an accident!"  
Axel growled, ripping his arm away from Demyx's grasp.  
"Besides," Demyx said, pushing Axel towards Roxas. "You know you should be with Roxas!"

Axel sighed, letting go of his anger. He turned towards Roxas, who was sitting up and blinking, rubbing the back of his head.  
"What happened?" Roxas asked. Demyx kneeled by Roxas.

"Some guy threw the ball and it hit you in the head. You fell backwards and whacked your head against the floor," Demyx said softly.  
"If anything," the teacher said, relieved to see Roxas conscious. "If anything, the bump on the back of your head will be bigger than the red mark on the front."  
"Red mark!?" Roxas half-shouted. "What red mark?"

Demyx led Roxas into the locker room. "This one, right here," he said, gently shoving Roxas in front of the mirror.  
"Oh, man...mom's gonna kill me..." Roxas muttered.  
"It'll probably fade soon," Demyx said. "Luckily, he didn't hit you hard enough to make a bruise."  
Roxas nodded. "Yeah." 

**----------**

During lunch, Roxas found himself sitting under the cool shade of a large oak tree. He sighed as the gentle wind blew through his hair. He closed his eyes, leaning against the old tree. He had finally obtained some peace and quiet. The other students found it much too hot outside to eat lunch anywhere but inside. Roxas was glad. The peaceful quiet soothed his pounding head. The pain remained from his last class, physical education. Demyx, however, was right. Like Roxas had been hoping, the mark had faded. The back of his head still throbbed, however.

"Hey," came a familiar voice. Roxas didn't need to open his eyes to see who it belonged to.  
"Hey yourself," replied Roxas.

"So, are you alright? He hit you pretty hard," the voice said.  
"I'm fine, Axel. The only thing I have from it is a large bump on the back of my head."

Axel sat down next to Roxas. Roxas wanted to inch away. Axel was too close...much too close...

Roxas' face looked like a tomato as Axel's lips approached his own. He could feel Axel's breath on his lips, quickened by nervousness. Axel slowly closed his emerald eyes, tilting his head slightly. Roxas didn't know what to do. Suddenly, Roxas found Axel's lips pressed against his own.

It wasn't long before those soft lips left Roxas'. Roxas' eyes had closed during the kiss. As he opened them, Axel was nowhere to be found.

He didn't see Axel for the rest of the day.

**------------------------**

Author's Note: This chapter is short, but I felt like this was the perfect place to end it. Axel and Roxas finally kissed. Will this cause love to blossom between the two teenagers?


	4. Choices

Disclaimer: I do not own KH or any of its characters.

Warnings: None

Author's Note: When I started writing this chapter, I had absolutely no idea as to where to begin. There's a little time skip between this chapter and the last one. It's a little bit later in the school year, and despite Axel's distractions, Roxas is doing very well.

**Pretending**

**Chapter 4: Choices  
**

Many students all over the world consider school to be a form of torture. Some people even consider the education systems near useless, due to the fact that you will never use everything you learn, and thus, you are wasting your time by learning things that will never be used. Roxas is no different than your average student, save for the fact that his grades are much higher than average.

Many teachers consider Roxas to be a star pupil. He always arrives to class on time. He sits at his desk after greeting the teacher of the class. He places his supplies for the class on the desk - notebooks, folders, binders, textbooks, pencils and erasers. He always seems to have a spare pen or pencil, and he always seems glad to lend it to a fellow student for a class period. He seems to be almost happy-go-lucky.

During class, he takes detailed notes in a well-developed shorthand. One look at his shorthand would tell a person that it took many years to develop into the sophisticated style that it is in today. It requires almost no writing at all, yet it is easily readable by both Roxas and his peers. He asks questions the second he finds himself confused, politely raising his hand and waiting instead of blurting out the question.

He is a quiet student, but he looks annoyed at Axel's antics. Axel is a distraction to Roxas and the rest of the class, yet Roxas appears to ignore him and continue on with his school work. He is a hard worker, and his grades are proof. He has near one hundred percent in every class. Though he studies hard, he always finds time to spend with his friends, Hayner, Olette and Pence.

Roxas found himself at lunch. He had come from physical education, where there had been a heated game of dodgeball going on. He sat under an old tree, leaning against its tattered bark. His heavy backpack sat next to him. Roxas sighed, closing his eyes. It was late October, and the weather was quickly becoming somewhat chilly. Roxas had been sweating in the school, but now he sat under the tree, shivering slightly.

"Hey, Roxas!" Roxas heard a voice shout. It sounded familiar, yet he couldn't place his finger on who it could possibly belong to.  
"Roxas?" the voice asked again. Roxas felt its owner poking his forehead. "You remember me, right?"

Roxas cracked an eye open and looked at the strange figure. He had an odd mix of a mullet and a mohawk. He was wearing a tight sleeveless ebony shirt and baggy black cargo pants that were held up by a studded belt. His wristband seemed to becoming worn out, but the upside down cross on the thick chain around his neck seemed to be relatively new. Wait a second...

"Yeah, I think so. You're...Demyx, right?" Roxas asked, closing his eye lazily.

"Alright! So you do remember! I was worried you wouldn't remember me -"  
"- Quit poking me! -"  
"- Because you haven't talked to me, like, at _all_!" Demyx finished.

"Demyx, I wouldn't be surprised if you gave him brain damage from poking him," a strange voice said. Roxas frowned. He didn't recognize the voice. It certainly didn't belong to Axel. Axel's voice was constantly fluctuating in tone and pitch, whereas this voice seemed to be flat and dull.

Roxas opened both eyes and stared at the strange person. He hadn't noticed him when he was trying to figure out who Demyx was. The person had short silver hair with long bangs flowing over one of his eyes, the classic emo hair. He was wearing a simple leather trenchcoat with boots. Roxas' eyebrow raised when he saw the odd book that the person was carrying.

"I...don't think we've met before," Roxas said, getting up.

"What? Me?" Demyx asked. "We met on the first day of school -"  
"Not you," Roxas sighed. "The other person."  
"Oh!" Demyx realized that Roxas was talking about...

"I'm Zexion," the silver haired teenager said, holding out a hand. Roxas shook hands with the teenager. "I'm a...friend...of Axel."  
"I see," Roxas said, looking the teenager in the eye. He seemed completely sane compared to the flamboyant redhead.

"I'll be heading to the library. Come along if you please, Roxas," Zexion said, turning around to head inside. Roxas followed him.  
"Hey, what about me?" Demyx cried.

"...Do I even have to answer that?" Roxas asked. He sighed when he saw Demyx pout.

**----------**

As soon as Roxas walked in the cafeteria, he found himself on the floor. When Roxas looked up, he noticed Zexion was absent, but in his place was -  
"Hayner? Sorry about walking into you," Roxas said nervously. "Hayner?"

Hayner glared at the dirty blond on the floor.

"What are you doing with _them_?" he asked. The pure anger in his voice made Roxas shiver.  
"It's alright, Hayner. Really. They're my friends," Roxas said, trying to comfort Hayner.

"Oh, so that's how it is," Hayner growled, crossing his arms. "You're abandoning _us_, who've been your friends for _years_, for some emo kids you met a few months ago."  
"That's not how it is, Hayner!" Roxas shouted, getting off the floor.

"Bullshit!" Hayner shouted in response. Roxas anger dissolved as he saw Hayner stomping away.  
"Hayner! Wait!" Roxas started to run after him, only to be held back. As he turned around, blue eyes met with green.

"You alright?" Axel asked, frowning.  
"Yeah..." Roxas sighed, beginning to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" Axel shouted, walking to catch up with Roxas. "Is...there anything I can do to help?"  
"Help with what? Ruining my friendships?" Roxas asked. The anger had returned.

"Geez...it's not my fault he got angry, but I'm sorry anyway."

Roxas looked into Axel's eyes. He shook his head when he began to lose himself in their depths.

"No, it's alright..." Roxas sighed. His fight with Hayner had left him with random moodswings.

"He'll cool down soon..." Roxas said."That's the spirit!" Axel cheered. "See you later, Roxy!"

Axel left.

"...Well, at least I hope he cools down," Roxas said quietly.

**----------**

Life always deals the harshest blows. Roxas had been severely effected by the loss of his friendship with Hayner. Even Olette and Pence refused to smile and wave to Roxas, even when Hayner wasn't with them. Over the next few weeks, he fell further into depression.

Axel had tried to cheer up Roxas with words of encouragement, but the words seemed to fall upon deaf ears. Roxas knew that his friendship with Hayner was over, no matter what he did. Demyx had also tried to cheer Roxas up, but instead of offering words, he acted goofier than normal around Roxas to make him laugh. Although Roxas had stopped laughing after his fight with Hayner, Roxas still smiled at Demyx's antics. Demyx noticed that Roxas' smile had become even smaller as the weeks went by.

Roxas found himself spending every free moment he had in the library. His free time was increasing rapidly as the weeks went by. He and Zexion had soon forged a bond of friendship. Zexion offered no words of encouragement and had never tried to cheer Roxas up. Roxas had discovered that Zexion was a wonderful listener, and would only offer his advice if Roxas asked for it.

Kayla and Michael, Roxas' parents, began to grow concerned. Although Roxas hardly acted different at home, Kayla noticed that her son was sighing more often. Michael frowned as he saw Roxas' grades slip. He knew something was wrong when Roxas began failing every class, even the ones that he was good at.

Roxas' teachers had also noticed a behavioral difference. Roxas no longer took notes and studied and asked questions. The teachers soon saw Roxas joining in Axel's and Demyx's antics. The principal realized that something had to be wrong with Roxas when Roxas was in his office at a weekly basis.

Roxas, meanwhile, was struggling. He tried to study, but he could never find the energy to do so. He found himself slacking off at all opportunities. He eventually didn't care about his weekly visits to the principal's office or his failing grades. He was still struggling to overcame the grief that came with the loss of three of his friends.

**----------**

The world was silent. Though the night was calm, it was chilly, and both the human and animal inhabitants of the city were within some sort of shelter, be it a small tunnel or perhaps a house. There was an absence of clouds in the sky. The full moon gave its pale moonlight to the earth below. The moon was so bright and radiant that the stars around it could not be seen.

As the minutes passed, light gray clouds began to block the view of the sky. Little snowflakes fell from the heavens to earth and covered the world in a lithe blanket of white. Roxas sat on his bed, looking out the window to see the snow falling. By his side was heavy backpack and a warm blanket.

**----------**

He had jumped down from his window, landing in the bushes below. He sprinted down the sidewalk, leaving footprints in the snow. As he ran, he could see his breath in the air before him. It had begun snowing harder, a rarity for his town in November. He gasped for breath has he slowed down to a run, out of energy from his sprint.

In the recent weeks, Roxas had begun to cave into the pressures from his teachers and family. He had tried, truly tried, to raise his grades. But, in class, he found himself confused, and no matter how many times the teacher would explain the concept to him, he was still confused. His class rank had fallen just like he had fallen into depression.

He had become lazy in school, and he couldn't break the habit. Though it was still relatively early in the school year, laziness had already become an unbreakable habit.

Roxas felt like he had failed. Though Demyx and Axel had tried their very best to cheer him up, their efforts were futile in the end. Roxas remembered the day he and Axel had kissed. Neither one had mentioned it in conversation, though Roxas was sure that Axel felt embarrassed. Axel had avoided Roxas for a short bit of time after the kiss, but now he was constantly by his side, just like before.

Roxas frowned as he panted for breath. He had stopped at an old bridge. It looked as though it was about to collapse at any moment. Over the many years of its life, rust had accumulated all over its surface. It was in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint, in Roxas' opinion. In this clean town, the dirty bridge stuck out like a sore thumb.

Roxas jumped in fear as he heard someone say his name behind him. He had been found out, but he couldn't find it in himself to run.

He found himself in a bear hug. When Roxas had finally been released, he turned around, expecting to see Axel or Demyx. Instead, he saw Hayner.

"Come on," Hayner said, leading Roxas to the patch of grass under the bridge. Roxas thought that Hayner just wanted out of the snow.

Many minutes of silence passed. The two teenagers sat on the grass. Roxas played with a blade of grass, noticing how there was no snow around them. They were under a bridge, after all.

"So, what were you doing?" Hayner asked, looking at Roxas expectantly.  
"...I don't know..." Roxas sighed.

"You don't know? You have a full backpack and a blanket and you don't know what you were doing by the bridge?" Hayner asked, clearly not believing Roxas' response. "It looks like you were running away."

"Yeah, so?" Roxas replied. "What's it to you? We're not friends anymore, remember?"

Roxas was surprised to hear Hayner sigh. "Listen, Roxas...I'm sorry for how I acted that one day."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"...Apology accepted."

Hayner smiled at Roxas. Roxas frowned when he saw Hayner's smile disappear suddenly.

"I guess I was jealous. I didn't like the idea of you hanging out with other people, especially people like them. They don't look trustworthy enough. You don't seem to fit in with them."

"Well, appearances are decieving," Roxas said, laying down on the grass. "You can never tell."

"So, are you still going to hang out with them?" Hayner asked.

Roxas nodded. "But there's no reason why you, me, Pence and Olette can't get together for a weekend."

Minutes of silence passed.

"So, we're friends again?" Roxas asked, standing up.

"Friends," Hayner confirmed. The two did their secret handshake (though they did it so often, it was hardly secret anymore).

"Be careful out there. The roads are dangerous and you know how people like to speed at night," Hayner said, walking away.

Roxas nodded. "You too, Hayner."

**------------------------**

Author's Note: This chapter was fun to write. I was experimenting with spacing the dialogue, and I think I found something I like. For now on, I'll most likely be updating every Wednesday. Usually a chapter takes me 2-3 days to write, but I finished this one in one day.


	5. Growth

Disclaimer: I don't own KH or any of its characters.

Warnings: Some language

Author's Note: I couldn't wait to start writing this chapter. More Akuroku is coming your way in a chapter or two.

**Pretending**

**Chapter 5: Growth**

Friends are, for Roxas, the best thing in the world. They are always willing to listen to one's problems and offer advice and solace. They buy lunch for two if you forget your lunch money, and sometimes, they allow you to copy their homework. They are always thinking about you, even when you think they aren't. Friends are amazing.

Roxas asked all of his teachers for a seat change in every one of his classes. The teachers were more than happy to comply, believing that Roxas would do well if he sat in the front of the room. Roxas was more than happy to be back in the front row, a place that was he was comfortable with. In the front row, the smart kids filled all the seats, paying attention and taking notes, getting slightly annoyed at the people behind them. Roxas used to be one of those kids. He had fallen into a bad habit, laziness. However, he was trying his best to break that horrible, horrible habit.

Roxas returned the notebook to the student sitting next to him, whispering, "Thank you," as he did so. The student smiled and nodded, letting Roxas know that it was no hassle. Roxas had finished copying all of the notes he had missed when he fell into a depressed state. It was a lot of information to learn at once, but Roxas figured that he would be able to learn by the time that his finals came, June of next year.

Axel glared from the back row. He didn't know why Roxas had changed so suddenly. He was suspicious when Roxas had asked for a seat change in every class, but now he was starting to get annoyed. Axel knew that he hadn't done anything to Roxas other than offer solace when Roxas fought with Hayner. Axel frowned as he remembered seeing Roxas hanging out with Zexion. Whereas Roxas continued to hang out with Zexion, Roxas had abandoned Axel and Demyx.

Axel hated the thought.

A crush is a blessing and curse, and Roxas was proof. Since the very moment Axel laid his emerald green eyes upon Roxas, he knew that he wanted Roxas. He had observed Roxas' behavior; Roxas didn't hang out with any girls at all, other than one brown haired girl. But he didn't even seem to be in love with her. Axel just couldn't figure out what Roxas' preference was; male, or female?

Roxas, until Axel figured out what Roxas' preference was, wasn't fair game. Axel constantly observed Roxas' behavior, but he couldn't find tell-tale signs that told him what Roxas preferred. It tormented Axel. Axel wanted Roxas so bad, but Roxas was unobtainable.

In this society, being anything else other than straight is a taboo. Axel doesn't care about taboos. He listens to heavy metal and dresses in all black, and doesn't really care what others think about it. Axel had recently gotten his tongue pierced. It seems that having anything else other than your ears pierced is a taboo in society. But Axel didn't care. He loved men; he couldn't care less about having a girlfriend. He was only interested in what males have to offer.

In Axel's opinion, being straight would be a hassle more than anything. You would always be worrying about getting your partner pregnant, and Axel knew that condoms won't always prevent a pregnancy. If you wore them wrong, or if they had a microscopic hole in them, your chances of getting pregnant were increased drastically. Axel knew that he or his future partners wouldn't have to deal with things such as birth control. After all, a guy can't get another guy pregnant.

Axel glared at the back of Roxas' head. Roxas was sitting next to Hayner. Axel found it peculiar that the two were passing notes, but they weren't passed in an angry fashion. When Roxas wasn't replying to a note, Roxas was taking notes and asking questions. Roxas was reverting back to how he was before.

The whole situation was peculiar. Why would Roxas' depression suddenly lift? Even if he had been prescribed antidepressants, it takes a while for the effects to kick in. It was almost as if one day, Roxas was horribly depressed, but was cured the next. It seemed almost unnatural.

Axel lightly hit the desk's leg with his boot in frustration.

"Hey, what do you think happened to Roxas? He's acting funny," Demyx whispered.

"I think...his buddy up there's doing something to Roxas. Mind control or something," Axel whispered back.

**----------**

School had ended some thirty minutes ago. The students had scurried home in a hurry, whether to get started on homework or to tell their parents that they have no homework (an obvious lie), and that they were going to the arcade or mall or wherever. Roxas had hurried home to complete the day's homework and to study the notes he had taken in class, like a good student. Axel frowned as he saw Roxas leave the building without even whispering as much as a good-bye to him or Demyx. However, Roxas had bid Hayner and Zexion farewell. Axel found it odd.

Axel had memorized Hayner's outfit during class. Hayner was the only person in the school that was wearing camouflage shorts and a black sleeveless shirt. Hayner was also a little bit on the shorter side, so Axel would have an easy time finding the boy in the large crowd. Axel knew that Hayner wasn't the kind of person that would immediately head home to study, instead choosing to stay after school a few minutes longer than everyone else to chat with friends.

The school had cleared, and only two students remained, one with blond-ish hair, the other with fiery crimson hair. Axel stood by the corner, arms crossed and a foot on the wall. Hayner walked by casually with a smile on his face, obviously happy by how the day turned out.

"Hey," Axel said, causing Hayner to stop. Hayner looked at Axel curiously.

"Hey..." Hayner replied, letting his voice trail off at the end. Axel could tell that Hayner was uncomfortable.

"Listen, I'm going to make this quick," Axel said, but was interrupted by Hayner.

"Do I even know you?" Hayner asked.

"No," Axel replied, "But I _do_ know Roxas. I'm one of his friends...well, was, anyway."

"So, what do you want? I need to go home before my parents bitch at me for being late again."

"Like I said, this is going to be quick. Roxas...has changed lately. Used to be depressed, but was suddenly lifted a few days ago. I know he had a fight with you."

"Where exactly are you going with this?" Hayner asked.

"But, you and him are suddenly talking again, being all buddy-buddy with each other. Kind of odd, if you ask me."

"Yeah? The other day we made up -"

Hayner was interrupted as he felt Axel's fist connect with his face. Surely, Hayner would have a black eye come morning.

Axel was blinded by fury. Why did Hayner and Roxas make out? He was about to kick the living shit out of Hayner, only to find that the other teenager was suddenly missing. Axel stomped his boot on the ground, inhaling deeply to calm his nerves. He left the building, leaving a scuff mark on the clean floors.

**----------**

Roxas sighed happily as he sat in the living room on the couch. He had a full stomach, and his homework was nearly done. There were a few math problems (well, the whole assignment), that he was having problems solving.

Kayla smiled as she saw her son relaxing. He had brought home an A+ grade a few days ago, on his English test. English was an easy subject, but it was a welcomed improvement from her son's previous failing grades. Michael had finished washing the dishes for his lovely wife. He turned around and saw her smiling. Curiously, he asked, "What is it, sweetie?"  
"Look at Roxas. He seems so much better now. His grades are improving..." Kayla replied.

"Hey, Cloud?" Roxas asked, interrupting his brother from watching television. Cloud looked at Roxas and nodded, letting Roxas know that he was to continue his sentence. "Can you help me with my homework?"

Cloud smiled - it was tiny and only the corners of his lips were turned up slightly, but it was still a smile. When Roxas was younger, Cloud had always enjoyed helping Roxas with his homework. Cloud had helped a lot in teaching Roxas how to read. Roxas was simply not interested in the material provided to him by the school, so Cloud had given him some of his own books. Roxas had quickly learned to read after that because he had wanted to know what was happening in the books.

As time went by and Roxas grew up, Roxas asked less and less for help on homework. Eventually, Roxas quit asking for help at all. Cloud had helped Sora here and there, but Sora had always turned to Kayla and Michael for assistance. Cloud always taught through logic, something that Roxas had easy time learning. Sora, however, was always finding a new way to learn a fact, and rarely resorted to logic.

Cloud moved closer to Roxas, looking at the homework problems intently, his brain instantly working to find a solution. The solutions came quickly and easily for Cloud, but Roxas was struggling. He hadn't even been able to solve one problem. Algebra was hard, Cloud acknowledged, but Cloud had been able to master both years of the course.

Cloud taught Roxas all of the tricks to solving problems he knew. In case Roxas forgot one, Cloud jotted them down on a piece of notebook paper. Roxas seemed amazed when he had solved a problem all by himself and had gotten the right answer. Cloud smiled at his younger brother, feeling proud. Cloud would be leaving the house in less than a year, but he was certain that Roxas would be able to take on his responsibilities rather easily. He felt bad for Kayla; in a few years, both Sora and Roxas would be leaving the house at once. She would be left alone.

Cloud was looking at apartments close to his home. He knew that Kayla would need help around the house, and he would be glad to offer his services. Leon, also close to graduating, was also looking for apartments, so he and Cloud put their efforts together. They decided to share an apartment. There was a college in town that both Cloud and Leon were going to in the fall, and since Leon owned a car, they'd be able to get there rather easily while being able to visit Kayla and Michael. Leon had no intentions of visiting his parents after his graduating.

His parents were rather strict individuals, having being raised strict themselves. Cloud could tell that they were proud of Leon. They had told Leon that they want him to become successful in life, and Leon vowed to not return to them after graduation until after he had fulfilled their wish. Cloud knew that Leon would turn to his parents for guidance. Cloud also knew that he would find himself heading to Kayla and Michael's house whenever he needed guidance.

Cloud messed up Roxas' hair, telling his family, "Good night," as he walked up the stairs. Roxas had finished his homework under the guidance of Cloud. Thrilled with himself, he closed the notebook and followed Cloud's example, while Kayla and Michael watched him with their hearts swelling with pride.

**----------**

Homeroom was torture to some students. For some, it was a waste of time. There were fifteen minutes in which you were required to stay in your homeroom. Most students would chat to others about anything and everything, spreading all sorts of rumors and gossip. There were some that finished up homework from the night before or studied their notes. Some even read a book to pass the time.

Roxas sat in his seat, tapping his fingers on the desk in a odd rhythm. His eyes widened as he saw Hayner walk in with a painful looking black eye.

"Hayner! What happened!"

**------------------------**

Author's Note: Axel heard Hayner wrong. He thought Hayner said "make out". I guess Axel really is the jealous type! Like I said before, Akuroku is coming up very shortly. Hope you enjoyed this chapter; it was fun to write!

I want everyone to know that all of my fics are on a temporary hiatus for the next week or two, and it's not because of school. My grandfather has passed away, and I need some time to cope with it and move on. My muse has also left me, so writing has become more of a chore than anything - and writing fanfiction should never, ever be a chore. In the meantime, I'll be trying to write, but my chapters probably won't be up to their usual quality. Thank you for reading this author's notice, and I hope you enjoy the rest of Pretending when I write some more chapters.


	6. Reasons

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.

Warnings: Slight language

Author's Note: You know, I just realized something. For me, school starts in less than a week. The good news? I'm at least halfway done with Pretending, so at least I don't have to constantly worry about it when trying to study. At least I remember what classes I'm taking this year, because they're the same as Roxas'. Last year I was completely surprised when I got my schedule, because I didn't realize what classes I asked to be placed in.

**Pretending**

**Chapter 6: Reasons**

"What happened?" Hayner shouted, his voice filled with anger. "That friend of yours punched me in the eye without any reason to!"

"Did he have red hair?" Roxas asked, although he was certain that this was Axel's doing. His suspicions were confirmed when Hayner nodded.

"Damn! I just wanna beat the shit out of him!" Hayner growled. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves before continuing. "I don't even know _why_ he did it in the first place; I mean, I just told him that you and me were friends again. Then he just goes and punches me in the eye!"

"That's odd..." Roxas said, pondering Axel's reasons for hitting Hayner. "I don't see why that would get him angry. I'll go talk to him at lunch today and get this whole thing sorted out."

Hayner patted Roxas on the back, smiling. "Thanks, buddy. I'd talk to him myself, but you know, one black eye is bad enough. I don't wanna come to school with two black eyes tomorrow."

**----------**

The human mind works in odd ways, manipulating our emotions to cause us to be blinded by anger or surrounded in a haze of happiness. Some people are more vulnerable to rage than others. Some will never get angry, while others will be blinded by the emotion when the tiniest thing happens to go wrong. Perhaps, our hearts are to blame. Are we to trust our hearts fully, or are we to allow the heart to say its input before deciding our course of action?

Roxas sighed as he sat under his usual tree. It was lunch time, and Roxas was dreading the discussion that would surely take place within the lunch period. The day was stressful for Roxas. He was constantly staring at Hayner's black eye, and finding himself getting angry at the other students who made up false rumors about his friend. He would have loved to dispel the rumors, but he knew that finding the time to confront every individual student who created the rumors would be impossible.

As the day aged, Roxas found himself getting angry at the flamboyant redhead. Roxas believed that hitting another person, no matter what the reason, is unjust and wrong. Axel's reason was horrible - he had only heard a few words in Hayner's sentence wrong. Throughout the day, Roxas could feel Axel's emerald green eyes staring at the back of his head. It bothered him.

Roxas closed his eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze. The leaves, which had began to fall from the trees in recent days, tumbled in the wind. Roxas frowned as he felt something hit his head. Curiously, he opened his eyes, angry to see the redhead in front of him.

"Axel..." Roxas said, his voice as cold as ice. "We need to talk."

"I know..." Axel said, his voice laced with guilt. He sat beside Roxas.

At that moment, silence was an uncomfortable thing for both of them. However, there was nothing to fill the space. Neither one could find the words and combine them to form a sentence that explained their feelings. Guilt radiated from Axel, almost like an unholy aura. The only thing radiating from Roxas' body was anger. Roxas was normally not the kind of person that would be angry, however, this situation wasn't very normal for Roxas at all.

"Roxas?" Axel asked, using Roxas' real name.

"Axel?" Roxas mocked. Axel's lips twisted into a frown.

"Roxas, just listen to me. I'm sorry about punching your friend in the -"

"- Why are _you_ sorry? You've never apologized before," Roxas said, his voice still laced with anger. "What kind of friend are you, anyway? You gave me nothing but trouble! You almost destroyed my friendship with Hayner, causing me to become a lazy slacker, just like you are! You constantly harass me and never give me a moment of peace! You always call my cell phone, and I eventually ended up turning it off because every time it was on, so was your number. Will you just leave me alone!" Roxas shouted, his voice growing progressively louder.

"Come on, Roxas, hear me out!" Axel pleaded, but it fell upon deaf ears. Roxas had ignored him, getting up and walking into the crowded building.

"Roxas!" Axel called, trying to get his friend to come back. "Come on, Roxas! Don't..."

Roxas was already gone. Axel sighed, closing his eyes and pulling up the hood on his black trenchcoat, which he used during the fall and winter months.

"Don't leave me..."

**  
----------**

As the sun set, Roxas laid upon his bed, his hand resting on his forehead. He sighed in guilt, lightly hitting the mattress with his free hand in frustration.

'How could I have been so stupid?' Roxas thought, sighing again.

The events that occurred at lunch time replayed over and over in Roxas' head, tormenting him. By the time he had finished his homework, Roxas realized how irrational his actions were. Although Axel was the cause of a fight between Roxas and Hayner, Roxas realized that it was stupid to have brought that up - after all, he and Hayner were friends again.

It was also wrong to blame Axel for Roxas' former laziness. After all, Axel hadn't encouraged Roxas to be lazy. Roxas had become lazy because of his fight with Hayner, not because of Axel. Roxas realized that he was blaming Axel for things he didn't do.

He insulted Axel - calling him a slacker and a horrible friend. Axel _was_ a good friend, but wasn't much of a slacker at all. Axel liked to live for the moment instead of planning ahead, because no one knows if there will even be a tomorrow. Sure, Axel distracted his friends constantly, but it was to coax them into having fun and live for the moment instead of planning for something that might never even happen.

Axel had always called Roxas. Axel had always found something interesting to talk about, whether it be a new story in the local news or perhaps about how a teacher made a fool of himself during class. Axel had always said that Roxas studied too hard and didn't have enough fun, and perhaps those phone calls were to encourage Roxas to live a little. Eventually, Roxas had tired of Axel bothering him, so he ended up turning off his cell phone. This evening, though, he had turned it on again for the first time in a long while.

Roxas was worried about Axel. Axel hadn't yet called to bother him. After their incident at lunch, Axel had stayed quiet and avoided Roxas whenever possible, as if he was being punished for doing something horrible. Not even a single teacher had yelled at Axel in the afternoon, an almost unheard of event. Roxas had watched Axel mope around, walking with his hood up and head down, not looking his own friends in the eye.

A week went by. Axel had continued to avoid Roxas as if Roxas was some sort of deadly virus. Axel was no longer being yelled at during class; in fact, Axel had even begun to do his homework like a good student. Axel had ceased eating lunch, and instead skipped the period, wandering around town aimlessly. Demyx, just like he had with Roxas, tried to cheer up Axel, but Axel never responded. Axel was so distant; he seemed to be in another world all together.

It was lunch time again, much to Roxas' dismay. He was sitting with Hayner, Pence and Olette at their usual table, joking and chatting about anything and everything. Roxas felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, half-expecting to see Axel. Instead of the flamboyant redhead, a silver haired emo teenager stood there. Hayner, Pence and Olette turned around when they noticed Roxas turned around. They looked at the teenager curiously, wondering who that silver haired teen was.

"Demyx wishes to talk to you by the old tree," Zexion said with his usual monotone voice. "He says that it is important, so I suggest you see him."

Roxas nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Zexion."

Zexion nodded in response, walking back to the library.

**----------**

"Finally!" Demyx said, exasperated. Roxas sat on the grass next to Demyx.

"So, what is it?" Roxas asked curiously. "Did a kitten get stuck in a tree?" he asked jokingly.

"No, but I got Frou-Frou down yesterday!" Demyx chirped, causing Roxas to look at him strangely. Demyx chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Oops, sorry 'bout that. Anyway, I wanna talk about Axel."

Roxas frowned. "What about him?" Roxas asked.

"He's been acting really odd. Hasn't even been talking or anything. The last person we saw him with was you, about a week ago."

"Yeah. And?"

"What did you do to Axel?" Demyx demanded. "Mind control!?"

"..." Roxas stayed silent for a moment. He sighed before speaking. "About a week ago, Axel gave Hayner a black eye. Axel came out here to give an apology, but...I got really mad. And I didn't accept his apology. Ever since then, he's been acting strange. I even turned my cell phone on in case he would call, but he didn't. ...I'm sorry, Demyx. It's all my fault..." Roxas closed his eyes sadly.

"You were mad because Hayner's your friend?" Demyx asked. Roxas nodded.

"Hayner is my best friend, and I got mad when Axel gave him a black eye."

"You know, Roxas..." Demyx began. "Axel...hasn't had a happy life. He lost his mother when he was only a little kid, and his father was never, and is never, home. Axel almost lives by himself. His father blames him for his mother's death. She died from cancer."

Roxas' eyes widened. "Axel...went through that?" he asked, his voice shaking. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain that Axel went through.

"Yeah...His mother the only person that really cared about him. His father doesn't care about him. He even said that Axel was a mistake, right to his face!"

"That's terrible!" Roxas gasped. "No one should ever say that."

"But his father did...and well, that's why Axel's like is today. He gets depressed when people are mad at him, especially if they're people that he cares about a lot. And he cares for you a lot, because you're his friend."

"He still considers me one? Even after how I treated him?"

Demyx nodded. "He thinks you're mad at him...so, are you?"

"I was...but now, I'm not. Do you know where he is? I want to talk to him."

"He left the school building, so he could be anywhere! Even China! If you give me your cell phone number, I'll call you if I see him," Demyx offered.

Roxas scribbled down his cell phone number on Demyx's arm with a pen. "Thanks, Demyx...I think I'll be heading to the library now. I want to know if Zexion will help, too."

"Oh! He will. I already asked him, but I'll give him your number for you. After the last class today, you just go and find Axel!" Demyx shouted excitedly. "You already have my number, so if you need help..."

"Alright, thanks," Roxas said, before getting up. He and Demyx entered the cafeteria, a shelter from the cold wind that began to howl outside.

**------------------------**

Author's Note: I cannot write Demyx in character at all. I really need to go through KH2 again. I haven't played it in nearly a year, anyway. The last thing I did was beat Sephiroth, and after that, I lost interest because I didn't feel like playing the whole game again just to beat Xaldin. At least I tried to write Demyx in character. I think that's what matters.


	7. Opposites Attract

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.

Warnings: Yaoi

Author's Note: The more chapters I write for this story, the more I don't want it to end. At least my muse is starting to come back.

**Pretending**

**Chapter 7: Opposites Attract**

Though the wind was howling at lunch time, it howled even more now. Roxas shivered as he looked outside. Though his house was warm and cozy, he shivered just by thinking of the lack of warmth outside. He made a mental note to get his winter coat out soon.

Demyx's words echoed inside his head: "You know, Roxas...Axel...hasn't had a happy life. He lost his mother when he was only a little kid, and his father was never, and is never, home. Axel almost lives by himself. His father blames him for his mother's death. She died from cancer. His mother the only person that really cared about him. His father doesn't care about him. He even said that Axel was a mistake, right to his face! He gets depressed when people are mad at him. He cares for you a lot, because you're his friend."

"He's depressed...because of me..." Roxas sighed, laying down on his bed. Roxas had been mentally beating himself up ever since his conversation with Demyx. Roxas had never even bothered to ask about Axel's life. Normally, Roxas never asked about someone's personal life, as it was their choice whether or not to share it with him. However, Roxas felt guilty about not asking Axel about his life.

Roxas figured that he would have been a good person for Axel to talk to. Roxas and Axel were nearly polar opposites. Roxas was level headed, whereas Axel was wild, like an untamed Stallion in the wilderness. Roxas spoke his mind only when he had something polite to say; Axel said anything and everything that even entered his brain. Axel was a tall guy. And Roxas...well...he was a bit on the short side.

Roxas blushed as he recalled a short phrase: "opposites attract". If the phrase held true, Axel and Roxas would be getting together.

"What!?" Roxas shouted, falling off the bed in shock. "Me? And Axel? Where did that come from?" he asked, shaking his head to clear the thoughts.

"Whatever..." Roxas muttered, climbing back onto the bed. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon; Roxas yawned. He laid upon his bed, closing his eyes lazily. "Well...I guess I can go to bed early tonight. Today _was_ pretty eventful."

**----------**

"Oh, Roxas..." Axel muttered, quietly walking closer to Roxas. "I've wanted to tell you something for the longest time."

"What is it?" Roxas asked, feeling his cheeks become red from embarrassment and excitement as he was backed against the wall. His back collided with the cold bricks, causing him to shiver.

"I just wanted to say...that I loved you..." Axel said quietly, his hot breath tickling Roxas' sensitive ear.

And with those words, Axel moved forward slightly, bending over the smallest amount so their lips connected. Roxas wanted to sigh as he felt Axel's soft lips press forcefully against his own, as if Axel was hungry for something.

Roxas felt Axel's slick tongue lick his lips. Recognizing the signal, Roxas parted his slightly chapped lips and let Axel's tongue explore his mouth.

The two tongues seemed to dance a sacred dance. Axel's tongue would tease Roxas', luring it into Axel's mouth. Roxas felt Axel's thin hands upon his hips, forcing him to stay with his back against the wall. Roxas, in response, threw his arms around Axel's neck, deepening the kiss even further.

Axel began to remove Roxas' black trenchcoat -

"WHAT!?" Roxas shouted, his eyes suddenly opened and wide as saucers. "What was that!?"

Roxas face was as red as a tomato. He was panting, trying to have sweet oxygen enter his lungs. A quick glance at his alarm clock told him that it was 10:30 at night.

"Guess I better be quiet..." Roxas muttered. "But still...what an odd dream..."

Roxas laid back down, resting his hand over his forehead. His crystal blue eyes drifted shut, only to snap open again as his cell phone rang. He listened to the odd ringtone; it was heavy metal, but was completely different than Axel's. Roxas looked at the number on the screen, frowning when he didn't recognize it. Shrugging, he opened the phone.

"Hello?" he greeted, trying to be pleasant.

"The old bridge," the monotone voice said before hanging up.

"The old bridge?" Roxas echoed, shutting his phone. Roxas had recognized the voice; it could only belong to Zexion. "The old bridge?"

Demyx's words once again echoed inside his head: "I'll give him your number for you," he had said.

"Axel!" Roxas gasped, opening his window. He shivered at the feel of the chilly night air, but regardless, jumped down and into the bushes below. Groaning, he climbed out of them, frowning as he realized what he had done to his mother's prized bushes. "Sorry 'bout that mom...I'll make up for it later," Roxas said, sprinting towards the direction of the old bridge.

**----------**

As Roxas ran, the clouds retreated, allowing the pale moonlight of the full moon to cover the earth. The temperature steadily fell as the wind blew stronger, blowing several leaves off their trees and a few snowflakes into Roxas' eyes. Roxas constantly blinked to replenish the moisture in his eyes, however, the wind just as quickly dried them out again. The world seemed to be still and quiet; the only thing one could hear was the sound of Roxas' bare feet colliding with the pavement of the road.

It began to snow harder, and the flurry began to turn into a full out storm. As Roxas ran, time seemed to slow down, yet nothing was in any sort of slow motion. The world was becoming covered in a soft blanket of white. Roxas shivered as sweat coated his skin, causing his body to drop in temperature even more. Despite the threat of hypothermia, Roxas didn't turn back. He kept running, running, running.

His eyes widened in fear as he finally saw a figure, no doubt belonging to Axel. The trenchcoat clad figure stood on top of the bridge, looking into the cold, raging river below, as if it was a sort of solace. The gusts of wind separated the strands of Axel's hair; his usual spikes had disappeared. Long, straight crimson hair that hung slightly past his shoulders took the spikes' place.

"Axel!" Roxas shouted, but the howling wind seemed to carry his words in the wrong direction. Axel's figure was coming closer, and soon, Roxas could make out every detail. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to be heard over the wind, he grabbed Axel's arm and pulled down, causing Axel to fall on top of him.

Axel's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the familiar figure below him. "Roxas?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Came...to say sorry..." Roxas said, coughing in between the words. Though Axel wasn't particularly heavy, Roxas was winded from running a long distance.

"Roxas..." Axel said sadly. For a moment, Roxas could have sworn that he saw tears in Axel's eyes. "Don't die on me, Roxy..."

"What? I'm not...going to die...You're just...crushing me..."

"Oops! Sorry!" Axel said, but it lacked his usual enthusiasm. Roxas smiled slightly as Axel got off of him.

"Don't be," Roxas said, choosing to stay sitting on the ground. Axel sat next to him. "I'm the one who should be sorry."

"No, you shouldn't," Axel retorted.

Roxas moved closer to Axel, shivering. "Yes, I should be. You tried to apologize and I got mad. I'm sorry. Are you mad at me?"

"Of course not, Roxy," Axel said, wrapping his arms around Roxas protectively. Roxas was confused as to why Axel wrapped his arms around him, but decided not to ask.

"Demyx told me about your past," Roxas said quietly. "I'm sorry your mother died. She was probably a great woman."

"So he told you, did he?" Axel asked. For a moment, Roxas thought that Axel was angry, but his suspicions turned out to be false. "I should thank him. At least I don't have to explain it, now."

"What were you doing up there?" Roxas asked. He looked into Axel's emerald green eyes, losing himself within their depths.

"I was going to jump," Axel replied casually. "I mean, if you can't even find a true love, why bother living?"

"You're only...what, 16? You have plenty of time to find your true love," Roxas reasoned.

"Well, 'find' isn't the right word. I already found him, but he doesn't feel the same," Axel said quietly.

"Does he know?" Roxas asked. Axel shook his head.

"No...but...now he does."

"What do you mean?" Roxas asked, confused.

Axel turned Roxas so their eyes met. Roxas felt confused upon seeing the serious look in Axel's emerald eyes.

"Roxas...Don't hate me for this. But I have to explain some things. Remember when we met during the summer, in the store?" Axel asked.

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, you asked me for my cell phone number."

"Remember that one day where I kissed you during lunch?"

Roxas nodded again, blushing. He suspected that he knew exactly where this was going. "You didn't show your face for a while afterwards."

"I thought you would've hated me. But you didn't. I've...always had a crush on you, Roxas. Since the first day I laid my eyes on you when you walked into the store. I just knew that you were the one. But...I understand if you don't feel the same way. I mean, being gay in this society is a taboo, and you're not the kind to mess with them. I...just wanted to know...if you'd go out with me?"

Roxas' heart skipped a beat. Roxas had associated no other feelings other than friendship with the redhead, but he noticed that when he lost himself within the depths of Axel's eyes, another unknown emotion showed itself. Roxas had never thought twice about that emotion; he just brushed it off. But now, that emotion was stronger than ever. It had grown so strong that Roxas couldn't ignore it any longer.

Love is one of the oddest emotions. Although one can hate it, it always shows itself again. Once one knows love, one knows true happiness.

"Axel..." Roxas said quietly, looking into Axel's eyes. "Yes, I do."

**------------------------**

Author's Note: A little bit shorter than normal, but it was fun to write anyway. I loved writing Roxas' dream...I started turning it into a lemon, and then I realized what I had rated Pretending! Unfortunately, I forgot to copy and paste the half-written lemon into a separate Wordpad document, and when I tried to undo everything I wrote to get the lemon back, it didn't give the lemon back to me. Darn.

I have one more "major" event planned for the story. There's going to be a time skip between this chapter and the next: the next is going to take place around Christmas time.


	8. Family Tension

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.

Warnings: Yaoi

Author's Note: Like I said at the end of last chapter, this one takes place at around Christmas time. The more I write for this fanfiction, the more I don't want it to end. I'm just having so much fun writing it. Just to please the readers, there's a bit of both Akuroku and CloudxLeon in this one. I'm just hoping I get to finish the entire chapter...the power acts like it's going to go out, but it isn't. It bothers me.

**Pretending**

**Chapter 8: Family Tension**

Time flies when you're having fun, or so they say. Roxas was definitely having fun with his boyfriend, Axel. The two went out on dates together, although Roxas told his parents that he was only going somewhere with his friends. Kayla thought Roxas' excuses were suspicious; Roxas never wanted to leave the house on Friday nights. Kayla soon found Roxas was gone more and more as the months went by.

Although Roxas wasn't necessarily a huge talker, his presence was still missed by his family. Roxas was hardly ever home now; he was hanging out with his friends until dusk, then coming home and going right to bed afterwards. The only time Roxas spent with his family was dinner, and occasionally breakfast.

Sora was used to Roxas' presence in the household. Whenever Sora needed help, whether it be algebra problems or something as simple as opening that darned can of mayonnaise, Roxas was always willing to give his help without complaint. Sora found himself asking Kayla and Cloud more and more for help with doing things. Although Kayla and Cloud enjoyed the newfound attention, they still felt that Roxas would be doing a better job; after all, Sora and Roxas were twins, though they didn't look and act like it.

Cloud was suspicious of Roxas' sudden disappearances on the weekends. Like a big brother, he worried about what his younger sibling was doing. The possibilities were endless - drugs, crime, street racing. However, Cloud knew that Roxas would never participate in any of those three activities. There was one other activity that Roxas would engage in - dating.

"Hey, Leon?" Cloud asked, cuddling closer to Leon on the bed. Leon grunted as he pulled Cloud closer to him.

"What is it, Cloud?" Leon replied.

"Roxas has been gone a lot more lately...I think I know what's going on," Cloud stated, lazily placing an arm over Leon's waist.

"Roxas...your brother, right?" Leon asked.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, my younger brother. Do you think he could be...dating?"

Leon thought a minute, realizing that Cloud's parents were slightly religious. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Yeah, maybe. You did the same thing."

"Why would he be hiding it, then?" Cloud asked, closing his eyes. Leon could tell how worried Cloud was about his brother.

"Your parents are slightly religious...but you don't know whether they consider homosexuality to be a sin or not."

"..." Cloud had to think for a moment before Leon's words had meaning. "You mean...Roxas could be dating a guy?"

"Why not?" Leon asked. "Your parents never made it clear whether or not homosexuality was a sin...and we've been dating for what, a few years? Maybe Roxas is uncertain as to how his parents are going to deal with it, so he's hiding it. The boy's just like you, Cloud."

"Yeah, I guess he is...Should I ask him about it?"

"No, when he's ready, I guess he'll tell by himself. You might wanna watch his back, Cloud."

"I already am, Leon. I already am..."

"Good boy," Leon said, connecting his lips with Cloud's.

**----------**

Axel wrapped his arm around Roxas' waist, pulling the smaller boy into his lap. Axel sighed in contentment as he rested his head upon Roxas' shoulder.

There's a time where everything seems to be right. At that time, if only for a second, there is no pain, no sadness, no worries. Everyone has a trigger of sorts which triggers that time of euphoria. For Roxas, his trigger was simple. Simply being with Axel put him in a mood of euphoria. Roxas was sure that Axel felt the same way.

Though the world was cold and covered in snow, the interior of Axel's house was warm and cozy, an amazing contrast to the weather outside. Little white snowflakes fell from the heavens and danced to the ground, landing on top of their brethren. The snow was pure white, not yet tainted by the dirty air that came from a pipe on the back of every car. Thick light gray clouds prevented anyone from viewing the sun, and a cool breeze blew the snow into miniature twisters, dancing across the streets.

Axel's house had a nice little fireplace, which, thanks to Axel, housed a tiny fire inside of it. Roxas and Axel cuddled on the couch, quietly talking about anything and everything. Two empty bowls with two spoons sat upon the coffee table. All lights in the house were off; the only light provided was a gift from the fire.

"I love you, Axel," Roxas said, resting his head on the said teenager's chest.

"Love you too, Roxy," Axel replied, smiling softly. Roxas had hated that nickname before, but now Roxas insisted upon being called it whenever they were in private.

A moment of comfortable silence passed before Roxas spoke again. "You know you didn't have to quit your job for me, Axel."

"Nonsense," Axel replied, shaking his head. "I wanted to spend more time with you, and my job didn't let me do that."

"But still..." Roxas protested, but was quieted by a kiss.

"Better now?" Axel asked. Roxas chuckled.

"Yeah," he nodded, getting off of Axel and onto the seat next to him. He laid back, resting his head in Axel's lap.

"Aw...so cute," Axel said, pinching Roxas' cheeks. He chuckled as Roxas pouted.

"Bad Axel," Roxas said between chuckles.

"Bad Roxas," Axel retorted.

Many minutes of silence passed. Roxas closed his eyes as he thought about the semi-recent events that had taken place in his life.

His summer vacation had started out normal enough. It was only at the end of it that a sudden twist had occurred. He had went to the mall that day and had met Axel in a store. He had given Axel his cell phone number, half expecting for Axel to never call. School started, and soon Roxas found that Axel and his friends were in every one of his classes. Roxas had a fight with Hayner, causing him to temporarily spiral into a period of depression. He had become lazy and depressed. Eventually, Roxas and Hayner made up.

Axel had confronted Hayner after school one day. Axel misheard only two of Hayner's words, causing Axel to fall into a horrible rage. He had given Hayner a black eye. Roxas had discovered what Axel had done, and had proceeded to be angry with the redhead. Axel, depressed and suicidal, went to the old bridge to jump into the frigid waters below.

Roxas had stopped him, and the two fell into love.

But now, the future stood before them, giving Roxas a horrible feeling within the pit of his gut. Something terrible was going to happen, but he could not figure out what it could possibly be. There were too many possibilities.

Meanwhile, Roxas was also trying to balance his family time with Axel time. He realized that he spent a lot of time with Axel, and was neglecting his own family. Roxas wanted to bring Axel into the family, introduce him as his boyfriend, but Roxas had a feeling that it wasn't going to work.

"Axel?" Roxas asked, opening his eyes.

"What is it, Roxy?" Axel replied.

"You know...we're going to have to tell my parents about us. It's been a few months now, and they still have no idea of what's going on. I feel like I'm neglecting them, you know?"

"Hmm..." Axel thought. "Well, would your parents approve of our relationship?"

"I don't know," Roxas replied. "They never made it clear whether or not they approve of people like us."

"So, what are we going to do, then?"

"I want to tell them -"

"- Good. You're going to have to, anyway. Might as well just wing it, right?"

Roxas nodded. "Right."

**----------**

Monday nights are always terrible. Your freedom, given to you by the weekend, was gone, and you were once again in the torture that they call school. Homework is given daily once again, giving students less and less free time.

Roxas' backpack, full of books and homework, sat next to his bed. Roxas laid upon his bed, one arm draped across his forehead. He was exhausted, mentally and physically.

Gym class was never Roxas' favorite class. Running a few miles was never Roxas' favorite thing to do. Homework was something that he had learned to deal with over the years, but regardless, was always exhausting.

"Oh, man..." Roxas said, wincing as his migraine seemed to become even more painful. Every muscle in his body ached.

"Why do we have to run that much, anyway? It's just torture."

Roxas sighed, remembering his conversation with Axel the previous weekend.

"I need to tell them...but how? I know Cloud's gay, but..."

Roxas paused mid-sentence, realizing what he had said.

"That's right! I'll go ask Cloud for help tomorrow night, then. Assuming he's not at Leon's."

The wind howled outside as heavy snow fell to the ground and collected on the sidewalks and streets. Though they were clean before, after night fell, they were once again dirty. The inhabitants of the town would have to wake up early tomorrow to clear the streets and sidewalks with shovels and snow blowers.

Students across the town were hoping for the school's staff to call a snow day, while the parents hoped that their children would have to go to school, just so the parents would be able to have some free time.

The snow turned to rain, and the rain turned to snow, causing the fallen snow to harden into ice. The wind blew harder and harder, howling louder and louder. A crack and thud was heard as a large old tree fell into the nearby power lines.

At that moment, every light and electronic device in the town turned off, leaving the town and its inhabitants in darkness until sunrise.

**------------------------**

Author's Note: A little bit shorter than what I intended, but I still like the chapter anyway. Luckily, the power never went out. If it had, it probably wouldn't have been back on for about 12 hours anyway. That's the bad thing about living in the middle of nowhere, besides the fact that you don't get city water.

I'm planning at least 2-3 more chapters, right now. This chapter was kind of filler, though. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!

One last thing, since school is starting for me on Tuesday...my updates will be a little less frequent. Just wanted to inform everyone.


	9. Conversations

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.

Warnings: Yaoi

Author's Note: Okay, maybe the 2-3 chapters thing was a little bit off. This is the last chapter. There will be a small epilogue, however.

**Pretending**

**Chapter 9: Conversations**

Christmas time...it is a time of good cheer, and for the children, lots and lots of presents on Christmas day. During the holiday season, people begin to be more considerate and kind, lending a hand to those in need. It is during the holiday season that the true nature of humankind is revealed. However, once the holiday season ends, people revert to their bitter states and refuse to lend a hand to anyone but themselves. It's disgusting.

Cloud and Roxas seem to be the same person, sometimes. They are always willing to help the needy, despite their own dilemmas. Whether it's the holiday season or not, anyone can rely on Cloud or Roxas to help. Whereas most people would only give you the shirt off their backs, Cloud and Roxas would give you their entire clothing collection, their house, and food. They are generous individuals, a rare type in today's world.

Around Christmas time, most schools will give their students a holiday break until the new year. The sudden lack of things to do left Roxas bored, until he and Axel started hanging out on the weekdays as well as the weekends. They were becoming near unseparable. However, their relationship is still secret to their families.

It was Christmas Eve. Snow covered the ground in a thick blanket of pure white. The wind had ceased to howl; all was quiet.

Shivering, Roxas left his now cold bed and placed his bare feet on the floor, inwardly wincing at the cold nipping at them. He looked around curiously; the computer monitor light was off, as was his alarm clock. He checked to see if both devices were plugged in. Much to his surprise, they were.

After one wakes from sleep, the drowsiness that remains clouds the brain, preventing the use of logic. Roxas' logic had yet to awaken from its slumber. Roxas coughed. His eyes widened slightly when he saw his own breath hanging in the air before him. Simply put, it was cold.

He walked into the hallway, leaving his door open. It was only slightly warmer by a few degrees in the hallway, but Roxas could've sworn it was many more than just a few. Goosebumps started to raise on his skin as he shivered. He found himself in Sora's room.

His twin was curled into a ball, every blanket on top of his body. Frowning, Roxas walked over to him, placing his hand on Sora's shoulder. He shook it roughly, saying, "Sora! Wake up! The power's out."

Sora groggily swiped at that hand, but Roxas persisted to annoy Sora. Sora, angered, opened his eyes and glared at Roxas.

"Roxas, come on. It's vacation time...you don't have to wake me up early," Sora said groggily.

"Sora, can you wake up Cloud, and both of you grab every blanket you can find? The power's out, and so is the heat. It doesn't look like it's going to be back on for a while."

"Alright..." Sora admitted defeat, getting out of his warm bed, wrapping his blankets around him. He walked into the hallway towards Cloud's room. Roxas went the opposite way, towards Kayla and Michael's room.

"Mom? Dad?" Roxas asked, shaking the shoulders of his parents. His mother awoke first, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

"What is it, Roxas?" Kayla asked sweetly, rubbing her eyes.

"The power's out, mom. Doesn't look like it's going to be on for a while. Can you help me and Sora grab some blankets?"

"Alright, dear," Kayla smiled, before turning to her still-sleeping husband. "Micheal, honey, wake up."

Roxas left the married couple alone, walking back to his room. He grabbed his cell phone and checked the time: ten in the morning. Michael had missed work by quite a few hours.

Before he realized what he was doing, he had dialed Axel's cell phone number. It rung and rung, and just when Roxas was about to hang up, Axel's voice entered his ears.

"Hello?" Axel asked. "Roxas, what are you doing up so early?"

"Is the power out at your house, too?"

"Yeah, everything's out, except the fire. Wait a second...your family doesn't have a fireplace, do they?"

"No, we don't," Roxas confirmed.

"Well, get them over to my house. The fire isn't big, but it's warm. The roads are slick though; be careful, Roxy."

"Alright, Axe, I will. Love you."

"Love you, too. Alright, Roxy, bye."

"I'll see you soon," Roxas said, closing the phone.

Roxas headed down the stairs. His family was huddled together in the living room, thick blankets draped across every body. Roxas shivered; no blankets covered his body.

"Hey, everyone," Roxas said, getting his family's attention. "My friend, Axel, has a fireplace at his house. He has a fire going, and he said that we should come down."

"That sounds nice," Kayla remarked. "Where does this boy live?"

"Other side of town," Roxas replied. "You or dad can drive; I'll tell you how to get there."

Cloud sneezed. "Can you give me the address?" he asked. "I want to go check up on Leon. Is it alright if I bring him too?"

"I don't see why not," Roxas replied, observing the odd stare that Kayla was giving Cloud.

"Alrighty, then," announced Michael, "everyone in the car! 'Cept for Sora; he has to walk."

"Hey!" Sora protested, chuckling.

**----------**

"So, your mother was giving you an odd stare?" Leon asked. He was sitting in the passenger's side of Cloud's car.

"Yeah. I think she's starting to suspect that we're dating," Cloud said, slowing down as his car approached a stop sign.

"So, do you want to tell her? Or are you going to let her find out on her own?"

"Well..." Cloud said, pulling into Axel's house's driveway. His father's car was already there. "I guess whatever happens, happens."

"That's my line," Leon protested.

"Whatever," Cloud replied.

"Same with that one."

Roxas heard a knock on the door, and watched Axel as the redhead casually strode over to the door and opened it. Roxas saw Cloud and Leon enter the warm house, Leon nodding in thanks as Cloud whispered a barely audible, "Thank you".

Everyone was huddled together. Axel's parents sat on the very couch that Roxas and Axel had cuddled on. Kayla and Michael sat on the other couch, wrapped up in blankets. Sora sat by the fireplace, warming his hands. Axel sat by Roxas on the other side of Sora. Leon sat on an old rocking chair as Cloud sat next to Axel's parents on the couch.

People have always seemed to come together and join forces when needed. Axel's family had offered warmth to Roxas' family. Both families were happy, if only for the moment.

Roxas took a deep breath, getting Axel's attention. Roxas jerked his head in the direction of Kayla and Michael. Axel, understanding the message, nodded. He was prepared for the worst.

Roxas cleared his throat before talking. His voice was shaking slightly. "Everyone...I have something to tell you."

"And so do I," added Axel, getting up. Roxas followed suit. Cloud and Leon looked on, ready to step in if necessary. Cloud knew what was going to happen. The muscles in his body tensed, ready to spring into action if need be.

"This will be shocking," Axel began. "But Roxas thinks everyone should know."

"Mom...Dad..." Roxas said, licking his lips nervously. His eyes connected with those of Kayla and Michael's. "I know...you're fairly religious. I don't know if you will consider this a sin, but..."

"Let me start, Roxas," Axel interrupted. "Alright, here's the skinny. Last summer, me and Roxas met at the mall. He gave me his phone number -"

"- You asked for it," Roxas said.

"Yeah, so? And we met again at school. Roxy here is in every one of my classes. Roxas' mom, what's the odd look for?"

"Roxy?" Kayla asked, her eyes showing confusion.

"Hang on, I'll get there," Axel responded.

"I met with Axel's friends, Demyx and Zexion," said Roxas. "Later in the year, me and Hayner had a fight. Hayner was upset because I was hanging out with -"

"- Me," Axel interrupted. "Roxy and Hayner eventually made up, though. Me and Hayner met up after school, and I gave him a black eye. Roxy -"

"- I got mad at Axel for hurting Hayner," Roxas finished. "Later, I found Axel on a bridge. He was going to jump."

"I was. Then, Roxy and I made up, but our friendship grew to be something more."

"I wanted to tell my mom and dad about it, and I was nervous about it. I didn't know how you'd react, but..." Roxas stopped mid-sentence, thinking about his next words. "I don't know how you will react. I...understand if you hate me for this, but...I love Axel."

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the room. Roxas began to sweat nervously. Axel, sensing something was about to happen, wrapped his arms around Roxas' waist protectively. Axel saw his parents' expression - horrified, confused. Roxas' parents shared the same expression on their faces.

"What!?" Kayla shrieked, standing up suddenly. She began to walk over to Roxas and Axel, but Cloud intervened. He stood in front of Kayla, doing his best to look intimidating.

"Mom...if you lay a finger on Roxas or his boyfriend..." he growled threatningly. "..."

Leon pulled Cloud away from his mother, dragging him over to where Roxas and Axel stood.

"So, I guess you're not tolerant of people like us," Leon remarked coldly.

"Us?" Michael echoed. His voice sounded angry.

"Mom, I don't care if you'll tolerate me anymore. For the last few years, behind your back, I've been dating Leon. I'm glad I am. He's the best guy in the world, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Suddenly, Roxas felt courage in his heart. He swallowed nervously, but speaked regardless, "I'll always love Axel. There's nothing you can do to change that."

Kayla lowered her head, causing sudden sadness to enter Roxas' heart. Regardless, he stood with Axel, Leon and Cloud.

"Honey?" Michael asked, leading Kayla back to her seat. Kayla was silent.

She lifted her head, staring intently at the four boys, two of them her own. They stood so proudly, as if they were proud to be who they were. Much to Roxas' surprise, Kayla smiled softly. She got off of the couch, walking over to Roxas.

Axel released his grip on Roxas' waist, allowing Roxas to walk towards his mother. Cloud took a few steps towards Kayla, but stopped.

Kayla raised her soft hand and placed it gently on Roxas' cheek, stroking it gently.

"Mom?" Roxas asked, looking at her in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kayla chirped.

"You're...not mad?" Cloud asked, stepping beside Roxas.

"No. I was never mad. Just surprised," Kayla explained.

"So...you're alright...with me and Axel? And Cloud and Leon?" Roxas asked.

Kayla nodded, smiling softly. Axel stumbled towards his own parents, expecting to be at least slapped across the face by his mother.

"Father?" Axel asked, stopping in front of his father.

"We knew the entire time," Axel's mother explained. "Me and your father discussed this...but as long as you're happy, I'm alright with it."

"How...did you know?" Axel asked, confused.

"Mother's intuition," Axel's mother said simply.

"Spoken like a true mother," Kayla said, causing the room to erupt into chuckles and giggles.

The clouds overhead parted, allowing the moon to cover the land in pale moonlight. Every light in the town flickered before staying on.

"The lights are back!" Sora exclaimed, running out of the house and into the street to catch a few of the falling flakes of snow.

Everyone else headed outside, marveling at the landscape's beauty. As the old clock in the center of the town rung 12 times, Roxas' and Axel's lips connected.

**------------------------**

Author's Note: Aw...I hope I didn't give anyone cavaties from the ending! Stay tuned for the epilogue.


	10. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters.

Warnings: None

Author's Note: A very short epilogue. If anyone's curious as to the future of Roxas and Axel, here it is! Hope everyone enjoys!

**Pretending**

**Epilogue**

As the years went by, things naturally changed. Axel went on to drop out of high school. Roxas graduated with Hayner, Pence and Olette. Axel, Zexion and Demyx came to watch. Roxas continued his education and graduated from college.

After his college graduation, Axel and Roxas married. Hayner was the best man. Leon and Cloud married six months later.

Kayla died of a heart attack five months after Leon and Cloud's wedding. Sora and Kairi, a girl that Sora met during college, married shortly afterwards to honor Kayla.

Kairi soon got pregnant with her first child, who she named after her mother in law. Leon and Cloud chose to remain child-less. Roxas and Axel decided to adopt a young child named Elijah. Elijah was abandoned by her parents, but Roxas and Axel gladly took her into their home.

Roxas and Axel moved to a different town with a better school to give Elijah a better education. Roxas became an English teacher at the school. Leon, Cloud, Sora and Kairi soon moved to the same town shortly afterwards.

Roxas and Axel now share a cozy two story house with a basement in the middle of a quiet town. They're visited frequently by family, friends and their surviving parents. They recently adopted a female German Shepard named Mitzi, who was abused by her previous owners.

Even though many years went by, Roxas and Axel's love only seemed to grow.

**------------------------**

Author's Note: This is probably one of the only things I wrote with a happy ending.

This story was very fun for me to write, and I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'm planning on finishing my other fics. I'm considering writing another Akuroku after I finish my other fics, so keep your eyes open!


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